Things that shine
by EpicChocolate
Summary: Annabeth needed to find something to throw at Aphrodite and fast. She was not about to get married to Travis Stoll just because of her whims.
1. Chapter 1

Summary – Annabeth needed to find something to throw at Aphrodite and fast. She was _not_about to get married to Travis Stoll just because of her whims.

Pairing – Travis/Annabeth. Probably more.

* * *

><p>Annabeth Chase is patient(somewhat)and she always had a plan to get out of the stickiest situations. In the back of her mind,she supposed that while Percy was the leader of the camp,she was the one everyone turned to for a good battle strategy. Unlike all of the Big Three's children,Annabeth was prepared.<p>

Just not for this.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME MY INSANE GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT-"

"A lot of greats!"

"SHUT UP TRAVIS! STRUCK A DEAL WITH _YOU-"_

"Hey! Don't say you like...I'm disgusting! _Puh_-lease. You should be grateful that I'm even doing this."

"AND NOW I HAVE TO GET MARRIED TO MY S-S-S-S-"

"Soulmate,"Aphrodite chirped,her long brown hair turning red as she flipped it over her shoulder, shooting Annabeth a dazzling smile. "Blame your bazillion times great grandmother! She made a deal with me that if I could mess around with the love lives of her future descendants then I would take away her curse. Best decision ever!"she squealed and Travis winced,pushing off his elbows to straighten up.

"Then why'd you make her go out with Percy at first?"he asked,curious,but Aphrodite was cut off from answering with a frustrated scream from Annabeth.

"That doesn't matter! What matters is the fact _I_ have to get married to _you_. "she screeched,her hands tugging on her blonde locks as she glared(up)at Travis.

Why did every guy she knew suddenly have to shoot up right past her? It honestly sucked since it had taken away her ability to glare down at someone. That and she was staring straight into Travis's chest and he was soaking wet,his shirt sticking to his skin. Dammit.

"-And it'll be the best...Annabeth,you naughty girl!"Aphrodite squealed,causing said blonde to jump straight up in shock and Travis grinned,his brown eyes sparkling with barely contained mirth. "Anyway,after that interesting discovery of Annabeth being a closet pervert,I have to plan your wedding! Its going to be amazing! How do you feel about a classic wedding? NO! An Asian themed one...ororororor,a magical one! Hecate owes me a favor!"Aphrodite laughed as she disappeared, leaving behind the hypnotizing smell of strawberries and vanilla. Travis let out a low whistle.

"That was...interesting. Anyway,me and Connor-"

"Connor and _I"_

"Pretty sure I'm the one who Connor was going to meet up with but if you want,you can come too." Annabeth reacted instinctively,her hand reaching out and slapping Travis under the head,enjoying the yelp of pain he gave.

"Travis! This is important! We have to get married! Because of my stupid great grandmother!" she sounded as close to panicking as she ever got and Travis smirked at her, leaning down until their noses bumped and his lips were floating above her's.

"Am I really that bad of guy to marry? Most of the girls at camp would jump for joy to marry me. To be come a Stoll,"his voice had dropped into a whisper and his blue turned dark and smoldering.

"Y-yes!"Annabeth stammered,scowling at her weakness in the face of attractive – not that Travis was attractive, not. At. All. - men flirting with her. Pouting,he straightened.

"Humph. Way to ruin a guy's confidence,Annabeth. See ya,"he waved before striding out, pulling a lighter out of his pocket along with a golf ball. "Now I just gotta light this..."he murmured, flicking it on under the ball, scowling when it didn't go up in flames.

Annabeth glared at his back, still scowling.

XxXxX

"Lemme get this straight, you and Percy broke up – it better be mutual or I will hurt one of you for hurting the other – and while you were all 'Oh noes! Did I do something bad? AND WHY ARE THIS APHRODITE CHICKS EXISTING IN MY LIFE?', Aphrodite showed up with Travis – who had been dragged out of the shower – and grabbed you and took to the Big House where he told you two that you are set to be married since you're soul mates and because of your insane bazillion times great-grandmother? Did I miss anything?" Thalia asked, her eyes wide as she shoved more popcorn into her mouth. Annabeth nodded and Percy and Nico whistled, already having heard the story as Annabeth had raced over to them complain and beg for Percy to drive her to Sally's apartment where Thalia was spending her sick day at, watching a movie marathon .

"Disney? Really?"Annabeth had asked but immediately, the Big Three children had hushed her, their eyes glued to the screen.

Maybe it was heredity.

"And what did Athena say when you ran up to Olympus to beg her to get you out of this?"

"That it was impossible since my ancestor had sealed the deal in blood,"

_"Sorry, you're much too big. Simply impassable."_

"_You mean impossible?"_

"No, impassable. Nothing is impossible,"

"That door obviously hasn't met Aphrodite when she's on a war path to hook two people up."

XxXxX

_Love happens in many ways and with many people. The smiling acrobat girl swinging above the ground may fall for the shy boy in the stands reading. Aphrodite has ways of making those destined to be together meet again. The people who sat next to each other on a ten hour plan ride may bump into each other when they're walking their dogs. All you can do is never question it and allow yourself to sink to the magic of it all_.

Annabeth's stepmother had told her that when she had questioned why she ever fell in love with her bookish father. Her eyes had been sparkling and her cheeks were flushed as if she was a schoolgirl again and Annabeth allowed herself to believe that love is the purest thing ever and that Aphrodite would always bring those meant to be together..

Bullshit. Because if Travis was Annabeth's _soulmate _then Annabeth would gladly like to be dragged away from him. Especially after the stunt he pulled during dinner.

"Attention! Attention!"Travis shouted as he leaped onto the Hermes dinner table, waving his arms around so much that it looked like he was signaling a passing helicopter. "I have a _very _important announcement. Annabeth...I love you!"Shocked silence. "Well,I kinda have to since I'm marrying you." Shocked gasps. "And the fact you're bearing my child."

"WHAT?"Annabeth finally found her voice. "TRAVIS STOLL, I'VE NEVER SO MUCH AS KISSED YOU!"

"Just kidding! Kidding! She's not carrying my kid. Yet." Percy snorted into his Kool-aid as Annabeth's cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink. "Anyway, we are getting married since her bazillion times great-grandmother apparently couldn't keep her hands off Zeus and Hera went all ballistic on her. Quite interesting story,"he shrugged as if he didn't really care. "Anyway, I'm going to go hide in my cabin since Annabeth there looks very angry. Bye!"

Annabeth was very angry but she was going to stay calm and dignified.

"Ohmigosh, is it true?"

"You're getting married to that _fiiiiiine _piece of man?"

"Want to switch places?"

"OH MY HADES, I TOTALLY CALLED IT! I CALLED IT! I FREAKING CALLED IT!"

Screw this. Travis was going to get beat into the ground.

* * *

><p>an – I'm aiming for this to be a three-shot. Or maybe four-shot(does that even exist or is it considered a story by then?). Dunno know.

Review for my strange taste in pairings? :3 And take a stab at what Disney movie(I seem to be on a Disney obsessed streak lately...)that parts in italics in the second part is from.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary – Annabeth needed to find something to throw at Aphrodite and fast. She was _not_about to get married to Travis Stoll just because of her whims.

* * *

><p>Annabeth liked to say she was calm, not exactly the type of person you'd expect to scream in your face. Of course, that didn't mean she didn't do it every once in a while. Being best friends with Percy, Thalia, Nico, and Grover , she had to scream to make her point every once in a while.<p>

Travis was a whole other story. She just couldn't keep her cool near him. It had started all when she was seven and arriving in Camp Half-Blood,she spent her first month in the Hermes cabin, crying her eyes out and only talking to a sympathetic Luke. The Stoll brothers, a year older then her at the time and never afraid to flaunt the fact that they were her 'elders' , had viciously attacked her...by tickling her sides and refusing to give up until she was crying from a new reason. Laughter.

"You can smile!"Connor had exclaimed, his blue eyes bright with joy and Travis echoed, agreeing with his brother.

"You're way prettier when you do it! You should smile more often,"Travis had encouraged and Annabeth definitely remembered her cheeks flushing a deep red. That had started off a friendship with them and it was more of a shock to see them separate then together. When Athena had claimed her, their friendship slowly fell apart until she was eleven,the year before Percy came. A boy from Ares cabin had angered both the Stolls and Annabeth and together,they had managed to dye his hair orange and his skin a bright blue.

That put her back right where she was before she was put in Athena's cabin, always laughing and smiling right next to them as Connor and Travis let themselves be known as the Kings of Pranks. That is, until Percy showed and Annabeth was suddenly kidnapped from their world and thrown into Percy's, one full of betrayals, tears, bloodshed, and death.

She didn't realize the fact that Travis was always looking at her with hope that she would eventually come back into his world.

"TRAVIS!"she thundered as she stormed into the cabin, the few remaining people in there quickly clearing out until she could see Travis sitting on the top bunk, flipping through a magazine halfheartedly.

"Yo,"he replied, glancing up before looking back down. She faltered,confused on why he wasn't doing what he usually did and throwing himself at her feet for forgiveness,before scowling fiercely at him, her gray eyes flashing with barely suppressed anger.

"Why did you say that! What if I didn't want them to know?"

"Why do you care? Its just a joke and I even told them it was a joke. Stop getting your panties in a twist. Wouldn't you rather let then know now then right before the wedding?"

"There won't be a wedding! I'm going to figure out a way to stop it!"she protested,holding her hands in what she hoped was a placating gesture but instead of calming down,Travis's expression grew stony.

"Oh? Am I really that bad of a guy to you? I bet if I was Percy or even _Luke, _you would be jumping up and down in pure joy. Gods know you've put them on a pedestal for all your life!"

"DON'T BRING THEM INTO THIS!"

"Why shouldn't I? The moment they came,what were me and Travis to you? Hm? Just people to pass the time,"he sneered and if Annabeth had cared to look close enough,she might of seen barely hidden tears in his eyes. But instead,she froze,her eyes sliding to her feet.

"I...I..."

"Get out."

"W-What?"

"Get out! Do you know what that means? LEAVE!"he roared and Annabeth squeaked in shock, nearly tripping in her haste to get out of the cabin.

It wasn't until she was out,that he allowed himself to cry.

It wasn't until she reached her cabin that everything that had happened crashed down on her and she collapsed on her bed in tears.

XxXxX

"_Travis? Are you OK?"Annabeth asked,sliding onto the bed next to him,putting her arm around him and he leaned into her,burying his face in her shoulder._

"_No,its my fault that Connor is in the infirmity. If I hadn't been an idiot and go after the flag,then he wouldn't of been alone when the Ares cabin his post,"he hiccuped slightly and Annabeth frowned,not use to seeing the usually jubilant son of Hermes looking down and depressed._

_"Stop blaming yourself,Connor doesn't blame you. He even said that if the roles were reversed then he would of chased after the flag!_"

"_So? I shouldn't of lef-"_

_"Get over yourself! Stop wallowing in your self-pity and think on how you can stop it from happening next time!"she yelled,huffing at the end of her statement and glaring down at Travis who blinked owlishly before smirking._

_"I really hope you never leave me...and Connor!"he added his brother's name as an afterthought, terrified of what Annabeth would think if he had left it at just 'me'. She just laughed._

_"I don't plan on leaving soon,"he grinned before putting his face back in her shoulder._

_"You smell good." Annabeth was extremely happy that he couldn't see her burning face._

XxXxX

Annabeth dragged herself up from wallowing in her self-misery to fling the door open,preparing to verbally abuse whoever dared to interrupt her brooding. The words died in her throat.

"Travis?"she asked,not quite believing that it was him on the porch of the Athena cabin,on his knees and looking like he was about to propose.

That thought strangely appealed to her and she shook her head rapidly to get rid of it,not bothering to fight the blush that lit up her cheeks. Travis smiled sadly.

"Sorry about yelling at you. Everything just got to me and you yelling didn't help,"he looked down at his feet,a light blush covering his cheeks. Annabeth smiled and opened her mouth to say something but he quickly cut her off. "Wanna go on a date with me? I asked Chiron and he said it was OK if we went into New York"her mouth snapped close and her eyes nearly bugged out in surprise.

A date? She hadn't even gone a date with Percy!

_'We are getting married,I supposed asking me to a date isn't a big deal,'_ she thought scornfully before growing angry at herself. _'I'm such an idiot! I'm fighting a fight I can't win. Why am I even trying to figure out if I can stop the wedding? Aphrodite won't let me go that easy.'_

"Er,Annabeth? Can you say yes or something? You're making me nervous over here,"Travis broke through her mind and she blinked,confused,before nodding. Elated,he crouched low on his haunches before pouncing at her,laughing and tickling where ever he could reach.

Annabeth would be lying if she said she didn't miss this.

XxXxX

Thalia looked up from the movie she,Percy,and Nico were watching_ –_ apparently,Nico and Percy had also gotten 'sick' and were staying with her to keep her company – and raised a brow at the dress Annabeth had been forced in by an ecstatic Sally.

It was a spaghetti strap soft green dress that stretched down to her knees and her blonde hair was pulled up into an intricate bun,some pieces falling into her eyes.

Annabeth thought she looked stupid.

Thalia thought she looked adorable.

Percy and Nico were torn between watching the movie or staring in awe at her.

"Annabeth,where have you been hiding all that? You have boobs! And I thought you were flat!"Thalia exclaimed,her eyes wide and the two boys grew flustered.

"OK,this has suddenly become very awkward for us. Percy? Lets make our escape,"Nico lunged at Percy,shadow-traveling the instant they collided. A minute later though,they returned,sitting down on the couch,sopping wet. Percy's eyes were wide and traumatized and Nico was whimpering,burying himself into the couch cushions.

"So...much...skin..."they muttered,shivering. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Ignore them. They probably got sent to a nude beach or something by mistake. Now,you,out! Go downstairs,I'm pretty sure Travis is already here since Sally left five minutes ago carrying a camera. And I'm up here with these idiots...Ugh. Why'd I have to get sick!"she threw her hands in the air in exasperation and Annabeth smirked,pointing at the TV.

"You and I both know you're here to watch Disney movies."

"...Well played. Now get!"

XxXxX

Annabeth knew she had done something wrong when she walked downstairs to the lobby and Travis's mouth dropped promptly at the sight of her. Sally turned around,smiled broadly,before quickly making her escape upstairs.

"Annabeth...wow. I mean..._wow_,"Travis breathed,a smile forming on his lips and Annabeth beamed happily,glad that hours(She really didn't understand on why it took _hours_) of work had paid off. He gestured nervously to door,at an obvious loss on what to do. Glad to have something to cover that awkwardness she was feeling too,she walked over,keeping her head bowed so she wouldn't do something or say something stupid.

Annabeth remembered back when they were best friends,they could sit down and talk for hours on end about practically nothing. Now,she couldn't look him in the eye without hearing the hurt and pain that was in his voice only two days ago. Hesitant,she looked up and saw that he had shoved his hands in his pocket and was whistling a tune under his breath. It struck her on how handsome he had gotten while she was off trying to save the world from Kronos. Even if he hadn't looked like that since he was twelve,Annabeth remembered Travis as a lanky boy with a gap between his two front teeth and a tiny scar through his eyebrow where he had been whacked with a swing. Now,he looked as he had just walked off the cover of a magazine.

"We're here,"he announced,ending the awkward silence. Annabeth gaped,ignoring the chuckle coming from Travis.

It was small,tucked between a mattress store and a laundromat(which reminded her that she needed to wash her clothes after this),and in big pink bold letters,the sign hanging in the window declared _'Best cupcakes in NYC!'_. Travis grinned as he opened up the door for her,strolling with confidence she couldn't help but admire.

Woah,where did that thought come from? Annabeth blanched,confused on how she had went from reminding about her childhood friendship with Travis to checking out aforementioned childhood friend. Her brain _sucked._

"I found this place during the war when the owner was knocked out. Their cupcakes were really good,"he smirked,thinking to how Connor had literally dove into the giant vat of mix in the back, licking it off himself. Annabeth,however,had different thoughts.

"You _stole _while they were asleep?"her tone indicated exactly what she thought of his actions. Travis grinned,nodding,but his smug air quickly turned to one of pain when she smacked him.

"Idiot,"she muttered,rolling her eyes. He poked her shoulder as they walked up to the counter.

"Your face is going to get stuck that way if you keep doing that,"he informed her. She raised a brow.

"That! Looking all 'I art holier then thou'."he said the sentence in a pompous British accent and despite herself,she bent over laughing,gasping for air. The lady at the counter smiled.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Five years,"Travis replied and promptly wrapped his arm around her waist,bring her flush against his side. "We're getting married!"The woman clapped and opened a drawer,pulling out a camera.

"Mind if I take a picture? I collect pictures of engaged or married couples so I can make a collage to put on the wall,"Annabeth nodded,ignoring the surprised look Travis gave her.

"Thank you!"

XxXxX

"C'mon,I have one more thing to show you,"he grabbed her hand and began to run,pulling her after him.

"Travis? Where are we going?"she yelled as they dodged pedestrians that were too busy to try and avoid them themselves.

"Its a surprise!"he gleefully shouted back,laughing as she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. They ran all the way to Central Park,slowing to a stop in front of the zoo.

"It closes at 5,we're too late,"she pointed out and Travis rolled his eyes,smirking down at her.

"You forget who you're with. I can sneak us into a _bank,_"he boasted,puffing out his chest.

"And get us caught."

"Oh shut it!"she snapped,not liking(she's a _terrible_ liar)on how he grinned triumphantly.

"Lets go,"he grabbed her hand again,pulling her along until they were hidden behind a tree. Travis dropped her head and she almost(_almost_)pouted until he grabbed her shoulders,bringing her against his body.

"Close your eyes and don't open them until I tell you too,"he whispered into her ear and confused,something she hated,she obeyed. In the next second,she felt like someone was pulling her body apart and a wailing sound erupted in her ears,prompting her to bury her face into Travis's chest.

"You can open them,"he told her and when she did,a snake was staring at her with unblinking eyes, separated only by a pane of glass. Annabeth jumped in surprise before noticing the sign hanging right next to it.

'_Welcome to the Reptile Room!_' it read and awareness dawned on her.

"How did you get us into the zoo?"she asked Travis who was rapping on the glass,trying to get the snake to react. It only glared at him before slinking away.

"Its a Hermes skill. He's the God of Transportation and we can go anywhere we've been before. Comes in handy when we're pulling pranks,"he flashed her a crooked grin and she smiled in return.

"Lets go. The guard passes here in five minutes,"he started towards the door and opened it slowly, sticking his head out to see if the coast was clear,before gesturing for her to follow. They were met by a pathway surrounded by trees and birds flying everywhere,squawking at the intruders.

"Woah. This is pretty cool. Look at that glass dome! See all those bars to support the glass? If I was the architect..."she rambled on and how she would of designed the building and Travis felt himself smile at her love for all things architecture. Show her a zoo and instead of looking at all the pretty animals, she would talking about glass domes and how instead of putting bars,she would make more glass domes to allow people to get a 360 degree view.

He loved this insane girl.

Travis blinked as he finally realized it. He didn't like the blonde girl rambling next to her,he _loved_ her. He had ever since he tackled her when he was eight.

Oh Hades,he was stuck in a zoo with her!

"Wanna go see the tigers? I heard they're magnificent,"Annabeth asked,noticing on how he had taken on a blank expression. Still thinking about his dilemma,he nodded absent-mindlessly. She stared at him for an extra minute,trying to figure out if anything was wrong,before shrugging,blamed it on boys being boys,and headed out. Travis followed like a lost puppy.

XxXxX

_Dear Annabeth,  
><em>

_Well,I've gotten __interesting__news from Athena. Very interesting. WHATS THIS ABOUT YOU GETTING MARRIED TO SOME BOY? YOU TOLD ME YOU BROKE UP WITH PERCY! ANNABETH MARIE CHASE, I AM GOING UP TO NEW YORK CITY AND DRAGGING YOUR BEHIND BACK TO SANS FRANCISCO!_

With love,

_your father._

Annabeth dropped the letter in shock.

_'Oh fuck,I'm screwed. I'm screwed. I'm screwed. SHIT!' _She didn't realize she had said the last part out loud until Thalia agreed and Sally shoot her a look of disapproval and sympathy.

What? It was the truth!

* * *

><p>an – Sorry if its terrible . But I had the whole thing planned in my head and I was scared if I waited any longer,I might forget it.

The quality probably went down. Like a lot.

Anyway,I've never been to Central Park Zoo so I have no idea what its like. Sorry~ I actually googled 'Date Spots in NYC' for this and ended up scrapping all of them since I had no idea how to write them. And some of the places were really cool!

Believe it or not,I had planned on them kissing in this chapter but I decided that it would seem too rushed and I'm saving it. For the wedding or before,thats for you to find out(And me too since I don't have a freaking idea either).

Review :3

P.S - The whole Hermes teleporting thing is from Camp Half-Blood wiki. And congrats to BritBrat92 for knowing it was Alice In Wonderland! (:


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth just stared at the letter on the ground in shock,Thalia swearing loudly behind her and Sally looking at her worriedly.

Her dad. The guy who raised her. The man who got progressively more protective of her,especially when she went out and broke up with Percy, had just found out she was getting married. Of course,he thought she was getting hitched with aforementioned ex-boyfriend but still! This was a crisis!

"Dammit. We're doomed. N-"Thalia cut off from whatever she was going to say when Aphrodite appeared in a flash of light,the smell of the woods and lemons filling Annabeth's nostrils. Immediately, her brows furrowed,trying to pinpoint exactly where she had smelled that before,when it suddenly came to her,her gray eyes bulging out of her skull in shock.

That was exactly how Travis always smelled like! She opened her mouth to demand what it meant but Thalia cut her off from it.

"Have you been swimming in the ocean or something? You smell like salt water,"she wrinkled her nose in mock disgust but Annabeth would be damned if she didn't notice the way Thalia took a deep breath as soon as Aphrodite turned away from her.

"There's the bride! Come on,Come on! We have to set the theme,pick the clothes,flowers,so many things! This will be so fun!"the goddess squealed in excitement,her fiery red hair turned a dark brown and her green eyes changing to blue. Annabeth blanched. The shade of blue was exactly like Travis's,even the mischievous twinkle and the laugh that always seemed to be contained in them. Eyes she could just drown in...

Annabeth jumped up in shock,her eyes wide,ignoring how everyone looked at her,worried(Except for Aphrodite. The stupid Love Goddess just looked smug). It meant absolutely nothing! Right? Travis was handsome,that was obvious,so it stood to reason that some of his features would appear in Aphrodite ,who always seemed to adapt the look of the person Annabeth had interest in the moment. Almost shyly,she looked towards Aphrodite,snapping her head back as she realized that the Goddess hadn't changed and if anything,she had the air of a cat that had just caught a mouse,lazy and proud.

"Well!"Aphrodite clapped her hands,snapping Annabeth out of her confused daze. "We have a wedding to plan! Lets go,I have to talk to Hestia so she can work some magic and maybe Dionysus for some drinks – non-alcoholic of course! You're much too young to drink,"

"Yet I'm getting married. I don't understand your logic,"Annabeth retorted,not bothering to pay attention to the fact that the woman could make her explode into dust if she angered her. Aphrodite paid her no mind and looped her arms through her's and grabbed a hold of Thalia who made a move to sneak away.

"She's being your Maid of Honor,correct?"she questioned and Annabeth grinned wolfishly,enjoying the way Thalia squirmed to get away and the glare she was shooting her that clearly said _'Don't. You. Dare.'_

"Yup."

"Wonderful! I'm guessing Travis is going to want his brother to be his best man but I'm not sure if they'll want to go together or...We'll figure out these details later. Lets go!"Thalia's eyes widened in shock as she realized what was about to happen.

"Wait! You're a god! We're not,we can't travel the same way you can!"Aphrodite paused and tilted her head,deep in thought,before shrugging.

"Oh,well. I've done this before,"In the next second,Annabeth felt a motion similar to the one she had felt when Travis was sneaking her into the zoo and she snapped her eyes closed,terrified she would see something she didn't want to see if she kept them open.

"We're here!"Aphrodite's overly happy voice chirped and hesitantly,Annabeth slid her eyes opened and her mouth dropped in shock. The room she was in was a pale peach color and scenes of people falling in love or loving one without having their love returned colored the walls.

"Wait...why does that look like Annabeth and...Travis?"Thalia narrowed her eyes at one,leaning closer as if it would help her discern who was in the painting. Aphrodite smiled.

"Every single person who had discovered their soulmate and loves them,returned or not,is painted on these walls. Its rather sad that there aren't that many,"she looked crestfallen for a minute and Annabeth understood. Even if the paintings crowded the walls,compared to huge amount of people who have ever lived in the world,it seemed like only a tiny handful of people have met their soulmate.

"But I don't love Travis and he doesn't love me!"she protested,holding her hands out in earnest. Aphrodite raised a brow.

"Oh really? You've never noticed on how he looks at you like you're a Goddess? You don't remember how he beat himself up when you got injured during the War? How he was the only one not celebrating for the simple reason he had seen you kiss Percy? And when you broke up with Percy,he came back to life and the first thing he said to you was 'Are you OK'? If that isn't love,I really have no idea about what I'm in control of,"she crossed her arms and for the first(and only)time in her life,Annabeth saw her expression turn scornful. Aphrodite looked angry and disappointed,for what, the Daughter of Athena had no idea.

"Hey,Annabeth isn't good with these things!"Thalia rose to her best friend's defense and the goddess lowered her arm and placed it on her hip.

"You,Thalia Grace,are in no place to say she isn't good with these things. Tch,joining the Hunters of Artemis to run away from your feelings for a boy."Thalia went silent and Aphrodite stared down at the two girls,looking every bit like the all-powerful immortal she was. "Well, enough with telling you two about your problems,we're here to plan a wedding,not wallow in your lack of tact. Lets go talk to Hecate for some dresses. Hera would just curse them,"Aphrodite wrinkled her nose in disdain and in the back of her mind,Annabeth quietly agreed but for the most part,she was still wondering about the outburst the Goddess of Love had earlier. Had Travis really done all those things? Or was Aphrodite just saying it so Annabeth would fall in love with her future husband?

"Hecate,Artemis,"Aphrodite greeted as they appeared into a dark room that immediately stole Annabeth's attention. A full moon loomed high above,wispy pale figures that vaguely reminded her of a people floating around,sometimes grabbing at Annabeth's and Thalia's clothes as if their touch would make them come to life. Hecate herself was dressed in a simple shimmery dress that reached her knees and hunting boots peaked out from under and with Artemis sitting right next to her,Annabeth could of mistaken her as a Huntress.

_'Goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts, and necromancy.'_she thought to herself,staring at the minor Goddess who smiled softly. Annabeth knew better. Hecate might have been a minor god but she was no one to be trifled with and the she-dog curled up on her feet growled as if agreeing.

"Lady Aphrodite,"Hecate's voice was soft,a whisper that seemed like a scream in the dark room. The Magic Goddess stood up,making her way to Aphrodite before dropping into a bow.

"What can I do for you?"she asked and Artemis stood now,striding down and simply nodding at Aphrodite,the tension between them stifling. For a minute,they glared each other down,the Virgin Goddess looking as if she wanted to rip through the Love Goddess,the one who had stolen many Huntresses from her,including the one that was currently hiding behind her hair.

"I'll be off."with that,Artemis walked out of the room,pausing right before she disappeared into darkness,she turned and looked at Hecate.

"I'll be back to tell you what my father says about you returning to Olympus,"she smiled before the darkness swallowed her disappearing back. Thalia raised a brow at Hecate.

"Dad won't let you back on Olympus?"she asked and Hecate nodded,her eyes turning wistful.

"I've missed Lord Hermes's company,"she bowed her head slightly as if embarrassed she had blurted that out and Aphrodite sighed happily.

"You're his favorite,you know? Most of the time its just a one time thing but he keeps going back to you. My advice to reel him in is next time-"

"Can we _please_ not talk about my future father-in-law's sex life?"Annabeth butted her,her face growing steadily red while Thalia looked nonplussed,only growing flustered as Aphrodite twirled around and winked at Annabeth,a smile on her face that reminded her vaguely of the Cheshire Cat.

"Travis is a son of Hermes,he probably has some habits as his old man. Hecate here lost her virginity to him! She knows _lots_,"by then,even Hecate had turned a deep crimson and stammered through her next sentence.

"W-what is it y-you n-needed A-Aphrodite?"she asked,trying to turn the conversation away from her..._activities _with the God of Thieves. Aphrodite smiled.

"Annabeth here,"at this,she clapped a hand on Annabeth's shoulder,shocking her with how strong the Goddess of Love was. "Is getting married to Travis Stoll,a son of Hermes – I think I said that earlier -,and I was hoping you would make a dress for Annabeth. And help out with the wedding with some magic,"Aphrodite made a sparkling motion with her hand,causing a snort from Thalia. Hecate slowly nodded.

"Of course."

"What do you want in return?"

"N-nothing!"

"Since you stammered,you _obviously _want something. Dur."

Thalia and Annabeth watched,confused,as Aphrodite kept on pressing for Hecate to name her price and the Magic Goddess stubbornly resisted,not wanting to seem selfish.

"They're acting..._human._"Thalia breathed,as if the very idea shocked her to the core. Annabeth nodded,her eyes glued to the scene in front of her.

"I'll talk to Zeus to let you back to Olympus. With Hermes and Artemis helping,its sure to work!"she clapped her hands,effectively cutting off whatever Hecate was going to say in return. "Now,onto that dress..."

Sighing,Hecate snapped her fingers and darkness immediately disappeared from her room until all that remained was the full moon shining above and the she-dog growling as if the sudden light had scared him. Now,instead of the dark,pure white walls greeted Annabeth, nothing on them or corrupting the pure color. Noticing her confused gaze,Hecate smiled.

"It was to represent my status as a virgin goddess before the whole incident with...Well,how about your dress?"Obviously embarrassed,Hecate lowered her head to try and cover her face with her long auburn hair.

"Er,sure. Can it be simple? Not too..."Annabeth struggled for the words and Hecate smiled, lifting her head some.

"Of course. Would that be OK with Lady Aphrodite?"she asked but said goddess was too busy talking to Thalia,waving her hands around in a dramatic manner to try and survey some message to her. Obviously,the Daughter of Zeus disagreed,shaking her head so her hair flew everywhere,slapping Aphrodite in the face.

"I think it would! Lets go!"Annabeth hurriedly dragged Hecate away before Aphrodite noticed and made her wear a _extravagant_ dress. Complete with ruffles that would drown her.

"Um,A-are you sure?"

"You're not really confident are you?"she asked before gulping,realizing exactly who she had had said it to. Hecate,a _goddess_,and lover of her future father-in-law,good friends with the woman currently organizing her wedding and a powerful goddess that could turn her into an antelope with the snap of her fingers.

She _really _didn't want to piss her off.

But instead of narrowing her eyes and opening her mouth to say an incantation that would curse her with terrible luck,Hecate chuckled.

"I'm just a minor goddess and most gods have looked down me. I'm pretty much a messenger,"she shrugged and Annabeth made an 'o' with her mouth.

"Is that were you met Hermes?"

"Yes. I helped him escort Lady Persephone back to Lady Demeter,"Hecate paused before gently pulling her arm out of Annabeth's grip. "I'll lead you from here. You almost led us into Elpis's room,"she murmured before gliding down the hallway while Annabeth blinked blindly at the golden room in front of her that seemed to fill her up with unbridled joy.

"Do all minor Gods live here?"she asked as she caught up with Hecate and the Magic Goddess paused in mid-step.

"Most do,others move out to claim their own land. Like Iris and her shop,"Annabeth had absolutely no idea what Iris's shop was and if she wanted to know what it was. Deep in thought,she followed Hecate before they stopped in front of a white room that had the engraving of doves circling around two rings intertwined.

"Lord Hymen?"Hecate asked,knocking on the door. In the next second,it was flung open and the first thing Annabeth saw was a fat man dressed in a black suit. He studied them for a second,just registering who it was, before grinning widely.

"Hecate! Ms. Chase!"

"How do you know my name?"

"Its my business to know all those who prepare to get married,"he said in a pompous tone before smiling kindly. "I assumed you wanted help for your wedding,Ms. Chase?"he asked, snapping his fingers to add glass that magnified his eyes to look like an owl's.

"She wanted help for her wedding and she wanted me to make her dress and I was hoping you would help with the theme." Hymen's smile grew until it stretched across his face.

"I,the god of weddings,is at your service,"he bowed at the waist before stepping aside,allowing Annabeth to step in. For a second,she saw a flash of white flowers before it was replaced with something she had only seen in her dreams.

Floating lanterns lit up a shore she found all too familiar – the one at Camp-Half Blood. The water lit up with an ethereal glow and she glanced down at her body,her eyes wide as she noticed that instead of the oversized shirt she had hijacked from Nico and ripped jeans,she was dressed in an a soft peach-colored dress that reached to the ground,pooling around her feet.

"Well,it seems we have our theme,"Hymen softly said and she glanced towards him,confusion evident. "My room is designed to see the dream wedding of one. Of course,none of this real. Its all up here,"he tapped his forehead,winking at her. Hecate nodded and stepped in front of Annabeth,scrutinizing her dress.

"I might be able to make this. When should I have it ready?"

"By the weekend!"Someone's voice cut in and surprised,Annabeth jumped,snapping her head to see Aphrodite beaming at her and Thalia looking around in awe.

"Damn Annabeth,_this_ is your dream wedding? I would of imagined it in a library or something,"she teased,smiling widely at her best friend. Annabeth felt her cheeks lit up,the heat that she had gotten _way_ too familiar with over the past week returning to her face.

"Wait. _WEEKEND?_"

XxXxX

"Hello Mrs. Blofis."Someone greeted Sally at the door and Annabeth froze,in the middle of an Iris-message with Travis. He frowned at her.

"Annabeth? Whats the m-"

"_ANNABETH MARIE CHASE!_"her father's yell nearly punctured her eardrums and Travis fell of the bunk bed he was sitting on,disappearing from her sight.

"Travis? I think I'm going to have to end this message,"Annabeth calmly said,trying her best to ignore her dad screaming behind her. Travis popped back up,a copy of his face laughing right next to his.

"Uh,sure. See you later,"he beamed but before he could cut it off,Connor leaned in,a mischievous smirk plastered on his face.

"He's gonna want to see you before then. He's getting lonely without his fiance,"he winked and started laughing,waving his hand through the Iris-message before Travis or Annabeth could react.

"Dammit Connor,"she sighed before standing up and turning towards her dad. "Hey daddy!".

"Don't play innocent with me."

Fuck. That didn't work.

"_He's_the one you're getting married to? I thought you were dating Percy?"

"You might want to sit down for this."

"ANNABETH~. I WANT PANCAKES! MAKE ME SOME PANCAKES!"

"Nico...YOU HAVE THE WORSE TIMING EVER!"

XxXxX

"Connor?"

"Hm?"

"I'm going to do it."

"Do what?"

"I've been thinking through and I've decided."

"Travis..."

"Next time I see her,I'm going to do it,"

"Do what?"

"EEEEEEEE!"

Connor smiled at the Iris-message,ignoring his brother that was currently trying to reel in his shock.

"Hey Annabeth. Ignore Travis. Dad came in earlier and gave us a talk..."he winced and if anything,Travis's mini seizure of panic grew more frenzied at the memory. Annabeth blinked before flushing a deep red.

"Uh...Dad wanted to know if you guys could come to Percy's house for dinner. He wants to meet Travis." Seeing as Travis couldn't talk,Connor decided to do all the talking for his brother.

"Both of us?"he asked,confused on why Mr. Chase would want to meet both of the Stoll brothers.

"Well,yeah. You're his brother and he wants to meet you too,"she informed before Nico showed up,grinning victoriously as he plopped down on the couch next to Annabeth.

"We're eating waffles~"he sang,in an euphoria on getting his favorite food. "And Annabeth's make them so you'll get a taste of what you're going to get every morning! Bye!"

XxXxX

Frederick Chase opened the door and immediately narrowed his eyes at the pair of brothers standing awkwardly in the hall that could pass as twins.

"Hi. I'm Travis,"the taller one stuck his hand out and Frederick only glared at his hand until finally,he dropped it.

"Connor,"the other one inserted before rocking on his heels. "He's the one marrying Annabeth." Immediately,Travis turned to glare at him,furious that his own _brother_ was throwing him under the bus. Connor merely grinned before staring down at his feet,trying to ignore Frederick's harsh stare.

"Dad?"Annabeth asked and immediately,Travis leaned around Frederick(The _nerve!_)and smiled at her.

"Sup,Annie?"his smile grew as she immediately glared at him before marching up to the door and softly pushing Frederick out of the way. He huffed before retreating to the kitchen,throwing suspicious glances over his shoulder.

He didn't trust Travis. And long hug that he gave Annabeth just confirmed his suspicions.

XxXxX

Travis stared down at his plate,ignoring everyone around him – it was nothing important. Nico was just talking about waffles and Percy wanted blue ones – and thinking about what he had decided to do.

He was going to confess to Annabeth. He just needed to get her alone. And avoid her insane dad that seemed determined to not leave her alone.

Dammit. He really picked them.

"Boy,how old are you?"Mr. Chase's voice broke through his levels of thought and blinking, Travis looked up.

"Nineteen,"he answered slowly,not liking where this was going.

"_NINETEEN?_Annabeth,he's too old!"

"Dad,he's only one and a half years older then me."Annabeth sighed,rubbing her forehead.

"TOO OLD!"

Travis simply lowered his head and silently ate his blue waffles. He was going to confess another time. Right now,he really didn't want to get killed by Mr. Chase while he was eating blue waffles. That would be the lamest obituary ever.

* * *

><p>an – Hermes and Hecate were really lovers. Fun fact xD (AndyesIshipHecateandHermes 8D)

Anyway,during the last part,I was watching Supernatural(So I was screaming at random times during this) and really wanted to upload this because I haven't in like...a _week_. I feel bad. But I have an excuse! I sprained my ankle.

Worse. Luck. Ever.

(And I was planning on having him confess but I've changed my mind 8D You all hate me,don't you? xD)


	4. Chapter 4

**Note** – Waaah? An update? HAS THE END ALREADY BEGUN? Erm yeah,sorry for forgetting to update?

* * *

><p>Annabeth decided that Thalia was a the best Maid of Honor <em>ever.<em> Because who _doesn't_ want their Maid of Honor on their time of month(to say the word was to wish death)and sobbing over Disney movies.

"OH MY GOD! WHY DID SHE TRADE IN HER VOICE! THEY COULD OF MADE IT WORK SOMEHOW! THEY COULD OF MADE IT WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORK!"Thalia wailed,shoving more popcorn in her mouth and Nico and Percy nodded from their self-declared 'Safe Zone' behind the coach. Annabeth's jaw dropped and she wondered if she could somehow trade Thalia in for a more practical Maid of Honor.

Then again,she didn't want to deal with the wrath of the Daughter of Zeus for not letting her take the coveted spot.

"Thalia,can you come over here and like,help me not panic and run away from the damned wedding?"Annabeth finally screeched,slamming her head against the desk and trying to play the 'Woe is me' card. To make it more realist,she heaved her shoulders and screamed like she had seen in the movies.

Maybe Annabeth should get rid of the 'I saw it on the TV,its definitely real.' mindset. Thalia stared at her for a long minute before glancing at the redheaded mermaid on the TV that was being wrapped in eels. Sighing,she got up and strode to Annabeth,enveloping her in a hug.

"Its OK,Annie Bell."she soothed before stepping back and slapping Annabeth. Calmly (and ignoring the fact that her best friend was screaming bloody murder)she said,"Now snap out of it. You're getting married and I'll be damned if I let you screw it up with your worrying. Its Travis,he might be a prankster and all but he really cares about you. And you do too but you're just to stubborn to admit it."

For once,Annabeth was rendered speechless. Her jaw had dropped and she was stared at Thalia with wide eyes. Percy,deciding to be useful for once in his existence(Of course, he would argue that he had saved the Western Civilization but in all honesty,in most things, he wasn't any help. At all.),strode up and patted Annabeth's head like a dog.

She resisted the urge to bite his hand off.

"Annabeth,this is going to be the most awkward me to say and right after I'm done,I'm going to tackle Nico and shadow-travel somewhere. Hopefully with clothed people."at this,he shot a pointed look at Nico who just shrugged,intrigued in the conversation. "When you and me were dating,you cared. Of course you cared but not like you were supposed to. You – we – treated me – each other – like siblings. Seriously,we only kissed like three times. But with Travis, you're so touch-feelly with him. I'm not sure if you've noticed but if you're with him,you _have _to be touching him. Holding his arm,hand,whatever. And if you freak out on this wedding now,I'm going to marry Travis myself since he's cool and doesn't deserve to have you have a panic attack and ditch him."

Annabeth's awe and shock grew until she felt like she was going to pass out. That was possibly the sweetest and weirdest thing Percy had every said. The only thing that ruined it was the whole 'I'm going to marry Travis since he's a boss and deserves it.' but she decided that she could overlook that.

"Well...I better not have to give a speech at the wedding or shit will go done." As calm as was possible,Percy tackled Nico,disappearing the instant they hit the ground. Thalia stared at the spot where they had vanished and her expression was unreadable.

Annabeth could of sworn she had muttered,"Dammit Seaweed Brain. I'm trying to get over you here."

XxXxX

Travis wanted to scream but couldn't since he was duct-taped to a chair and a piece was placed on his mouth.

Damned Sons of Aphrodite,ruining his scheme to go to the wedding in jeans and a tee.

He wasn't running! All he wanted was a little a bit of comfort in the most uncomfortable thing he'd ever had to go to. Even worse then the time Connor had convinced him to go on a date with a girl.

Who turned out to be a cross-dressing male.

_'OK, maybe not THAT bad...'_he thought,shuddering at the memory when the duct tape was ripped away from his face. He screamed from the pain and instinctively, he kicked out, getting a twisted sense of relief when he recognized the cry of pain.

"Piper?"he asked,keeping his eyes closed as he tried to adjust to the pain. When it finally faded, he opened them to see the familiar Daughter of Aphrodite grinning at him, her kaleidoscope eyes sparkling as she grinned at him, an assortment of brothers behind her.

"Travis?"she mocked before patting his head, looking excited and ready to faint. Travis paused. Not really excited, more like a nervous air but the ready to faint was definitely there. Her face looked pale like no blood was running to it and her eyes were darting everywhere, still sparkling in that strange way that was probably Aphrodite's blood.

_'Weird...'_he thought before struggling against the duct tape again. Piper frowned at him before turning towards her brothers, arms crossed and looking as imposing as ever.

"Go and get his tux!"she shouted and without a moment's hesitation,they all scurried off,fearful of their cabin leader.

"What bit you?"Travis asked,giving up with trying to get out of the duct tape and just relaxing. The girl stared at him before sighing,staring at her feet.

"I'm just worried for you. I mean,Leo and I have been dating for half a year and here you and Annabeth are getting married without even going out. Its just so...Mom can be really annoying sometimes!"she huffed,crossing her arms. "Its just...just so..."

"Amazing. I wouldn't have a chance with her any other way,"he cut in,Piper snapping her head up and staring at him with her jaw open.

"Of course you would! You're Travis!"

"I've been friend zoned by her so many times its not even funny. I've been shoved aside for other guys. And now,I'm going to get to marry her. Can I thank your mom when I see her?"he asked seriously, smiling as she started to wave her arms around, yelling to try and instill confidence in him.

He didn't need confidence. Travis Stoll was perfectly fine with imagining Annabeth Chase with his last name.

XxXxX

_'Imagine the Louvre. Or the Hoover Dam. Empire State Building. Olympus.'_ Annabeth chanted in her head, trying her best to ignore the flurry of Aphrodite girls around her, the Goddess herself trying to direct everyone. Hecate hung back awkwardly, trying to make herself busy by changing the color of the dress out of pure boredom, Thalia sitting next to her. It was a war zone in the Athena Cabin and any person who trespassed was quickly kicked out,a she-wolf on their heels. Except for the sound of hair spray leaving its can and the soft whispers of the girls, it was an almost deathly silent in the cabin and that scared Annabeth.

Since for the first time in her life, she didn't want to think ahead. She just wanted to pretend that she was going on another date and that everything was going to be OK and her life wasn't about to change completely the moment she arrived at the lake.

"Alright,done! Now,can you all leave so we can fit Annabeth in her dress?"Aphrodite clapped her hands, beaming at her daughters that replied with a happy "Yes mother!" before quickly exiting. It was completely silent now and for a few moments, Annabeth's mind latched onto one image.

_She was sitting on the porch of some house, curled up with a book and a baby boy with a curly head of blonde hair and blue eyes sleeping in her arms. The wind ruffled her hair and she yawned, sitting up and dropped the book nonchalantly next to her. She picked the baby up and for a few seconds, she was perfectly content and happy. _

_Until the door burst open and a pair of laughing twin boys rushed out, dragging their father along until he finally escaped, collapsing on the porch in a heap of giggles._

"_We really need some girls,"she smiled and Travis looked up,his blue eyes shining with mirth. _

"_Wanna try again,Annabeth?"_

The thought disappeared as fast as it had come and the blonde blinked blearily, wondering how she had even conjured that up. Her entire life, she had never thought of children or even getting married. For her, it was never even a possibility. But now, all of a sudden, her mind was trailing off there and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like it.

"C'mon,Annabeth! Time to put on your dress!"Thalia cheered,sounding as if she forcing it, before latching onto Annabeth's arm, dragging her up. The Daughter of Zeus was dressed in a knee-long dress that was ruffled from waist down, a black strip circling around her waist before being tied into a bow behind her back. "Well geez,stop being so excited. I can barely keep up."

Annabeth blinked before the long t-shirt she was wearing was all but ripped off and she stifled a yelp. The dress was being put on her (Probably some magic on Hecate's part since no one was touching her) and in a few mere seconds, she was dressed in her wedding dress, and everyone was staring at her.

"How do I look?"she asked, shifting uncomfortably and Hecate gave her a soft smile.

"Magical."

XxXxX

"Just take one shot Travis! You'll come down!"Connor urged,nudging one towards him before downing one of his own. Travis shook his head, shoving it away and resting his head on the counter. Next to him, Nico and Percy were having an arm wrestling match, kicking each other to get the other one to give.

"Hey, it'll be OK. Trust me on this,bro."his brother stared at him with oddly serious eyes and Travis sighed.

"Its just th-

"Nope,don't wanna hear it. Just calm down. You love Annabeth and she loves you. Even if she doesn't admit it. I'm your brother,I know these things. So just calm down."

"...You should really stop watching dramas, you sound ready to cry."

"...Shaddup."

XxXxX

"Hey Thalia?"

"Yeah,Annie?"

"Everything's going to be fine right?"Thalia froze, her mind seeing a shivering little girl, not the confident woman that Annabeth had grown into. Nostalgia flowing over her, she smiled.

"Yeah. Everything's going to be just fine." _'Luke, I really wish you were here.'_

XxXxX

For that split second before she stepped onto the sandy beach, Annabeth felt ready to bolt. That same primal instinct that sent her scrambling whenever she saw a spider was washing over her and it was all she could do to keep walking. Her mind kept chanting that this was going to crash and burn and everything was going to be horrible.

But thankfully, it shut up the moment she caught sight of Travis. He looked polished and groomed, his hair the only thing that was a mess. He had been shifting awkwardly at the end of the aisle before spotting her. They stared at each other before they both broke out into wide grins.

'_You're right Thalia. Everything is just going to be just fine.'_

* * *

><p><em>The stakes are high, the water's rough, but this love is ours. <em>

_~Taylor Swift._

* * *

><p><strong>Notes<strong> – Am I allowed to cry since I finally finished it and I kinda of like this chapter and I kinda don't and wow. I _finished_it.

And nope, Annabeth didn't tell herself '_I AM MADLY IN LOVE WITH THIS DORKUS TRAVIS.' _since for some reason, I can't see her doing it in this story. Since she's been friends with Travis for a long time and even in the flashback, its sort of hinted that she had a crush on him and with Aphrodite adapting his smell and look. So yeah, thats why.

And another reason is because Percy and Annabeth never came out and said 'I love you!1!1!' to each other. They just sort of _knew_. And I imagined Travis and Annabeth having the same realization.

So maybe, I'll make a sequel if the muse hits or maybe not. But thank you for reading my experiment of a Travis and Annabeth relationship. Thank you(:


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